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Shaking in domestic dogs—a rapid side-to-side movement of the body or head—is a commonly observed behavior, yet its function remains minimally researched. The present study aimed to investigate the use of shaking behavior in naturalistic social contexts, with the hypothesis that shaking functions as a marker of transition between behaviors or activities. In addition, as the prior literature has suggested that shaking more frequently occurred in postures or conditions of stress, either to signal stress or to mitigate it, we looked at postures related to affect before and after shaking. We observed 96 New York City dogs in two contexts: a public dog run and a private daycare. Over 120 episodes, shaking behavior was most often observed between two different activities or behavioral categories, supporting the hypothesis that shaking functions as a marker of transition between behaviors and activities. We also found neither a significant change in postures related to affect nor in the number of dogs in the subject’s vicinity after shaking. While there may be other functions of canine shaking behavior, this observational research adds to our understanding of a common and understudied dog behavior.

BackgroundSocial media has become a popular method to recruit participants, particularly for studies with hard-to-reach populations. These studies still face challenges in data quality and, for longitudinal studies, sample retention. However, in addition to aiding in recruitment, social media platforms can help researchers with participant verification and tracking procedures during the study. There is limited previous research describing how longitudinal studies can use social media to screen and retain participants. ObjectiveThis paper describes strategies implemented to screen and retain a nationwide sample of sexual minority youth who were recruited through social media platforms for a longitudinal study testing a drug abuse prevention program. MethodsOur screening strategies for participants included collecting necessary demographic information (name, phone, email, and social media accounts), verifying this information using publicly available web-based records, and sending confirmation emails to ensure working email addresses and correct dates of birth. Retention strategies included communications designed to develop positive participant relationships, incentives for survey completion, regular updating of participant contact information, targeting hard-to-reach participants, and using social media as an alternative means of contacting participants. ResultsDuring enrollment, although the only demographic data required were a phone number and an email address, 87.58% (1065/1216) of participants provided their Instagram as an alternative means of contact. This form of alternative communication remains the most preferred with 87.40% (1047/1198) of participants continuing to provide an Instagram username as of January 2023, about 3 years after recruitment began. In comparison, other alternative means of contact (eg, Facebook and alternative email) were provided by only 6.43% (77/1198) to 56.18% (673/1198) of participants. Direct messaging on Instagram was used to successfully confirm participant identity, remind participants to take annual follow-up surveys, and update lost participant contact information. Screening and retention strategies used in the study have helped achieve 96.30% (1171/1216) to 96.79% (1177/1216) sample retention across 3 waves of data collection. ConclusionsThough social media can be a helpful tool to recruit participants, attrition and participant authenticity difficulties may be associated with this method. Screening and retention strategies can be implemented to improve retention. Internet searches are effective for screening youth to ensure they meet eligibility requirements. Additionally, social media—Instagram in this study—can help to track and locate participants who do not respond to traditional contact methods. Trial RegistrationClinicalTrials.gov NCT03954535; https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT03954535

The NCCN Guidelines for Colon Cancer provide recommendations regarding diagnosis, pathologic staging, surgical management, perioperative treatment, surveillance, management of recurrent and metastatic disease, and survivorship. These NCCN Guidelines Insights summarize the NCCN Colon Cancer Panel discussions for the 2018 update of the guidelines regarding risk stratification and adjuvant treatment for patients with stage III colon cancer, and treatment of BRAF V600E mutation-positive metastatic colorectal cancer with regimens containing vemurafenib.

Simple Summary: While shaking behavior—a rapid side-to-side movement of the body or head—is often seen in domestic dogs, its purpose is not well understood. In this study, we investigated whether shaking acts as a marker of transition between activities or postures associated with affective states. We recorded a total of 120 shakes, from 96 dogs, in a public dog run and a private daycare in New York City, and looked at the behaviors preceding and following the behavior. Shaking most often occurred between two distinct activities or two distinct categories of behavior, supporting the hypothesis that shaking marks a moment of behavioral transition. We did not find that shaking behavior was linked to changes in postures related to affect. This research contributes to our understanding of ubiquitous but understudied behaviors of dogs. Shaking in domestic dogs—a rapid side-to-side movement of the body or head—is a commonly observed behavior, yet its function remains minimally researched. The present study aimed to investigate the use of shaking behavior in naturalistic social contexts, with the hypothesis that shaking functions as a marker of transition between behaviors or activities. In addition, as the prior literature has suggested that shaking more frequently occurred in postures or conditions of stress, either to signal stress or to mitigate it, we looked at postures related to affect before and after shaking. We observed 96 New York City dogs in two contexts: a public dog run and a private daycare. Over 120 episodes, shaking behavior was most often observed between two different activities or behavioral categories, supporting the hypothesis that shaking functions as a marker of transition between behaviors and activities. We also found neither a significant change in postures related to affect nor in the number of dogs in the subject's vicinity after shaking. While there may be other functions of canine shaking behavior, this observational research adds to our understanding of a common and understudied dog behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]